|
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The next issue of the OA Society's annual magazine for
members is in production and I'm sure that it will once
again provide a very good read. I eagerly await
this excellent publication with its news from OAs all
over the World. Do make sure that the OA Office at
the School has the correct address for you, or if you
would be happy to receive your copy by email let Ann
Saffery or Jackie Wilkie know oas@aldenham.com
I'm also looking forward to seeing as many OAs as
possible at the Annual Dinner in November. Judging
by the full house last year I would advise you to book
early if you want to secure your place at this popular
event. See the website for
details.
As a follow up to the very successful Ypres battlefield
tour in 2013, I am proposing a tour of the Somme in its
anniversary year 2016. The plan is to run a coach
from Aldenham on the weekend of 20th - 22nd May
'16. It would be helpful to have names of
interested travellers so that accommodation, transport
and other details can be finalised. The cost is
likely to be about £350 per head if 20 places are
booked. An experienced guide will travel with us
throughout the tour. To see the planned itinerary
go to the Events News page of the OA Society
website Please email me neilsutherland2014@gmail.com
or the OA Office oas@aldenham.com
to express your interest. A deposit will be
required to secure a place.
Neil Sutherland OBE
(B1966-70),
President
NEWS
ALDENHAM ANNUAL FUND 2014/15
The Annual Fund 2014/15 reached a record high by
generating over £43,000 enabling us to buy all the
things we wished for and more besides. This was
the sixth Annual Fund appeal and took the total amount
raised in the history of the Fund to over
£205,000. The students continue to benefit from
two sailing dinghies bought in 2009, cricket pitch
covers bought in 2010, follow spotlights in the theatre
provided in 2011, two harps, four pianos and now we also
have excellent microscopes in the Science Labs, two 3D
printers for Design & Technology and a couple of
brain scanners for our A Level Psychology
students. We are extremely grateful to everyone
who has contributed to this important fundraising
campaign, which allows us to regularly upgrade the
resources and facilities available to Aldenham pupils.
New Chair of Governors
Aldenham's Chair of Governors, Stuart Lewis, stood down
at the end of June after seven years in office, he is
superseded by an Old Aldenhamian, Trevor Barton
(K1971-75). Trevor says that he is honoured to
take over from Stuart who has worked with three
Headmasters. As a pupil, Trevor very much enjoyed his
time at the School and since 2000, when he returned to
the UK after working abroad, has been involved with the
OA Society and on their Committee. This
committment led to an invitation to join the School's
Governing Body and now to help lead the Foundation.
John Dewes - RIP
John Dewes (B1940-45) sadly passed away on Tuesday 12th
May. It was a peaceful passing surrounded by his
family and John's eldest son, Tim, said quite
philosophically that he had had a "good innings".
John was the most distinguished cricketer that Aldenham
has ever produced, appearing for England in the Ashes
series against Bradman’s Australians in 1948.
As a mark of respect for his passing a minute’s silence
was held at the First XI match vs Highgate on Saturday
16th May.
Websites and Facebook
The School website
is being re-designed to give it a fresh new look and
make it easier to navigate. The OA Society has its
own dedicated website
for news and forthcoming events. Members of the OA
Society can log in to view photographs, update their own
personal details and search for
friends. You can also follow us on Facebook to
stay in touch with all the latest goings on at Aldenham.
FUTURE PLANS
Annual OA Dinner
OAs who would like to attend this year's Annual
Dinner on Friday 20th November are encouraged to
book early. This popular event has been filled to
capacity for the last couple of years, so to avoid
disappointment contact the OA & Development
Office. The pre-dinner speaker is Alan Grieve CBE
(SHE1940-45), Chairman of The Jerwood Foundation
a charity that is committed to supporting and nurturing
excellence in art.
Battlefields Tour -
Proposed
The President of the OA Society invites you to
join him on a three day tour of the Somme,
Vimy Ridge and Arras.
If you would like to book a place on this trip please
complete the reply
form and return it to the Development and OA
Office at the School as soon as possible and no later
than Friday 30th October 2015.
OA Day 2016 - Beevor's
Reunion
All OAs are welcome to return to the School for
the annual OA Day and this year special invitations will
be sent to all those we are in touch with who were in
Beevor's House, including staff and former staff who
were associated with Beevor's. To make sure we
have a good turn out, please help us to spread the word
and make a note in your diary of the date, Sunday 12th
June 2016. Please check the 'Lost OAs' section on
the OA Society website
to see if you can help us find anyone.
EVENT NEWS
OA Day and McGill's Reunion
Over 130 Old Aldenhamians (OAs) returned to School to
meet friends, share lunch and give thanks in a special
Chapel service. The sun shone brightly making it
the perfect day to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
A new memorial listing the names of OAs who gave their
lives in WW2 was dedicated during the Thanksgiving
Service and Martin Stephen (SHE1949-53) laid a wreath of
poppies at its foot. Martin's father, Alfred
Stephen (SH1913-19) is named on the plaque. The
memorial was paid for by donors to the Aldenham Annual
Fund.
Choir
trip to Rome
The School Choir, Catabile and Chamber Orchestra, along
with 11 Old Aldenhamians, the Headmaster and some
parents, travelled to Rome during the summer
holiday. They combined performances in the city,
including Mass in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican,
with some sightseeing while they were there.
aldenham.net
The Aldenham networking group meets in London for after
work drinks - the last event was held at the Civil
Service Club and attracted 20 Old Aldenhamians. If
you would like to join this group and can suggest a
suitable meeting place, with private or semi-private
space, please get in touch with Indra Sikdar
(SHO1985-90), OA
Committee Member If you or your company
could host a meeting that would be very welcome too.
Regional Lunches
A very successful OA Regional Lunch was held in Bedford
on Wednesday 28th April '15. The Horse &
Jockey, in the tranquil village of Ravensden, was
suggested by Robin Willmott (SHO1940-44) and provided
the ideal setting for a social get together.
Oxfordshire has been suggested as the next area for a
Regional Lunch - if you have any suggestions for a
suitable venue please contact Ann Saffery, Development
and OA Manager on 01923 851612, email: aesaffery@aldenham.com
Private Reunions and Lunches
A group of Beevor's 'Old Boys', who joined the School in
1946 gathered back at Aldenham for a reunion
lunch. John Edwards (B1946-51) organises an annual
get together and this year decided to have a 'school
lunch'.
Beevor's Housemaster and some current pupils hosted a
drinks reception and tour of the House which was
followed by a splendid lunch in the Whitbread Room.
The School would welcome other small groups of OAs who
would like to arrange a reunion lunch at any time.
Contact Ann or Jackie in the Development and OA Office:
oas@aldenham.com
Visit the School website
for the latest news and the OA Society website Event
Galleries to see pictures of OA events.
CLUB NEWS
OA FOOTBALL
The OA Football Club (OAFC) continues to thrive and has
appointed several new Committee members. Martyn
Berg (B1987-94) remains Chairman of the Club with Sam
Kaye (P2001-06) as the 1st Team Captain. The
2015/16 season got off to a fair start with a draw for
the 1st XI and a win for the 2nd XI, led by Andre Sharma
(L2001-06). For a full list of fixtures please go
to The
FAs full time programmes
OA GOLF
The autumn meeting of the OA Golf Society (OAGS) was
held at Porters Park in Radlett on 23rd September.
Representatives from the School included two very
promising golfers and a couple of teachers who very much
enjoyed the day's play as guests of the OAGS.
The OA Golf Society would like to encourage more members
to join and enjoy a variety of meetings including the Halford Hewitt
competition and a popular European tour.
OA FIVES
The Aldenham Fives Club had another busy and successful
year with a ladder competition run every six
weeks. The highlight of the season was victory in
the Eton Fives Association (EFA) Trophy. - Aldenhamians
2 Salopians 1
The Salopians have been the dominant force in this
competition and were heavy favourites to win again. But
the match was much closer than anyone could have
predicted!
The Aldenham Fives Club meets at 7.30pm on Tuesdays at
the School. New players are always welcome and can
be sure of a good mix of social and competitive
play. Contact details can be found on the Sports
and Clubs pages of the OA Society
website.
OA CRICKET
Peter Gibbins,
Current Parent and Jack Gibbins' (R2007-14) father,
organised the OA cricket match on OA Day in June '15.
Peter has offered to organise some matches at Aldenham
against touring sides again next summer. It is
hoped that the game on OA Day will be a permanent
fixture at the event. If you would like to get
involved please let us know and we will keep you posted.
Email: oas@aldenham.com
OTHER NEWS
MENTORING UPDATE
Fifteen OAs and Sixth formers have now been introduced
to experienced OAs who have offered guidance and advice
in career planning and personal development. The
number of OAs listed as volunteer Mentors has grown to
Thirty and although not all of them have been called
upon to support a young person, it is a valuable
resource to have within the Aldenham Community and their
expertise will no doubt be invaluable at sometime in the
future.
If you would be interested in offering your expertise in
a particular field, or would appreciate some career
guidance from an OA within your field of interest,
please let David Hayes (SHO1963-68) know. David
his an OA Committee Member with responsibility for the
mentoring scheme. Email: dhayes.family@gmail.com
or contact oas@aldenham.com
for more information.
OA REVIEW – ALDENHAMIANA
Issue 43 of the OA Society members’
magazine will be published soon. The Editor,
James James-Crook (M1968-72) has been pleased with the
response to previous issues and wants to continue to
produce a high quality magazine. He would very
much appreciate some more assistance in future, so
that the workload can be shared to a wider group.
Email: jamesjamescrook@hotmail.co.uk
MARQUEE
FOR HIRE
If you have a special event to celebrate, such as a BIG
birthday or family occasion next year, please remember
that a spectacular marquee will be available to hire
over the weekend following the ASPA Summer Ball, which
will take place as usual on the evening of the last day
of the summer term – Friday 1st July 2016. Why not take
this opportunity to use the facility in the lovely
setting of Aldenham? For full details of facilities to
hire at Aldenham contact Andy Dawson (SHO1989-94),
ald@aldenham.com
or visit the School
website
RICHARD PLATT SOCIETY
Members of the Richard Platt Society have all kindly
left a gift in their Will to the School.
Richard Platt himself left orders in his Will for the
establishment of the School to acknowledge his own
fortune. Whatever the reason and whatever the gift, a
commitment of this sort will provide the School with a
secure Bursaries Fund and enable it to offer academic,
cultural and sporting facilities that will attract the
quality of student that is synonymous with Aldenham.
If you would like more information please contact the
Development Manager, Ann Saffery aesaffery@aldenham.com
or go to the Development pages of the School
website
RECENT
BENEFACTORS
We are very grateful to Kenneth Eric Flatt (M1933-36),
Paul Spencer (P1943-47) and David Ellison (SHE1946-51),
who have passed away in the last year and left a gift in
their Will to the School.
If you plan to leave a gift to the School in this way
and would like to let us know about your intentions,
please contact Ann
Saffery, Development and OA Manager. Tel: 01923
851612. You will be sent a Richard Platt Society
tie as a symbol of your gesture.
|